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User blog:SPARTAN 119/Polish Home Army vs 26th of July Movement
The Polish Home Army, the resistance movement that fought a guerilla war against the Nazi invaders with ingenious tactics and homemade weapons VS The 26th of the July Movement, the Communist revolutionaries who overthrew the Batista regime in Cuba. WHO IS DEADLIEST!? =Combatants= Polish Home Army w The Polish Home Army was the dominant Polish resistance group during Nazi-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the "Union for Armed Struggle". Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish resistance forces. They and constituted the armed wing of what became known as the "Polish Underground State". Estimates of its membership in 1944 range from 200,000 to 600,000, with the most common number being 400,000; that figure would make it not only the largest Polish resistance movement, but one of the three largest in Europe during World War 2. It was disbanded on January 20, 1945, when Poland was abandoned by Nazi forces as the Soviet Army advanced. They built their own weapons in underground factories, using basically everything they could find. (Information from Wikipedia) 26th of July Movement The 26th of July Movement's name originated from the failed attack on the Moncada Barracks, an army facility in the city of Santiago de Cuba, on 26 July 1953. The movement was reorganized in Mexico in 1955 by a group of 82 exiled revolutionaries (including Fidel Castro, Raúl Castro, Camilo Cienfuegos, Huber Matos, and the Argentinian Ernesto "Che" Guevara). Their task was to form a disciplined guerrilla force to overthrow Batista. On 2 December 1956, 82 men landed in Cuba, having sailed in the boat Granma from Tuxpan, Veracruz, ready to organize and lead a revolution. The early signs were not good for the movement. They landed in daylight, were attacked by the Cuban Air Force, and suffered numerous casualties. The landing party was split into two and wandered lost for two days, most of their supplies abandoned where they landed. They were also betrayed by their peasant guide in an ambush, which killed more of those who had landed. Batista mistakenly announced Fidel Castro's death at this point. Of the 82 who sailed aboard the Granma, only 12 eventually regrouped in the Sierra Maestra mountain range. There they encountered the Cuban Army. Guevara was shot in the neck and chest during the fighting, but was not severely injured. (Guevara, who had studied medicine, continued to give first aid to other wounded guerrillas). This was the opening phase of the war of the Cuban Revolution, which continued for the next two years. It ended in January 1959, after Batista fled Cuba for Spain, on New Year's Eve when the Movement's forces marched into Havana. After the takeover, anti-Batistas and liberals joined the M-26-7 movement, which gained control over Cuba. The Movement was joined with other bodies to form the United Party of the Cuban Socialist Revolution, which in turn became the Communist Party of Cuba in 1965. Once it was learned that Cuba would adopt a strict Marxist-Leninist political and economic system, opposition was raised not only by dissident party members, but by the United States as well. In April 1961, a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles and dissidents launched the unsuccessful Bay of Pigs Invasion against the Cuban Revolution. The flag of the 26th of July Movement is on the shoulder of the Cuban military uniform, and continues to be used as a symbol of the Cuban revolution. (Taken from 26th of July Movement on Wikipedia) =Weapons= Pistols Vis Pistol (PHA) The Pistolet Wz. 35 Vis was a Polish semi-automatic handgun designed in 1935 chambered for 9mm ammunition, firing from an eight round magazine. The weapon is considered one of the finest handguns ever produced, being renowned for its accuracy and stability. The weapon saw service in World War II in the hands of Polish soldiers in the initial Nazi invasion of 1939, and was later used both by the Polish Home Army and by German troops, seeing extensive use in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. Colt M1911 (26th) The M1911 is a semi-automatic pistol that fires the .45 ACP. The weapon is single-action and is recoil-operated. The famous firearms designer produced the pistol to be used as the standard sidearm for the United States military. The weapon was used through countless conflicts like World War II and the Vietnam War. Production for the weapon came through the United States' need to modernize its arsenal. It is still being used by American law-enforcement and military forces in limited amounts. The weapon fired from a seven-round magazine. 119's Edge Both the Colt and the Vis are legendary for reliability, with the Vis having greater accuracy and an extra round in the magazine, but the Colt having greater stopping power. For this, I consider this one even. Submachine Guns Błyskawica (PHA) The Błyskawica or "Lightning" is a Polish submachine gun mass produced in underground factories during the Second World War. The weapon was designed so that it could be produced only with bolts and screws, without welding, allowing it to be assembled in a small workshop or garage. In spite of this, the weapon had the same reliable design as the German MP-40, and even utilized the same ammunition, so Polish resistance fighters could re-stock their ammunition from fallen enemies. The weapon fired a 9mm round at a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute from a 30-round drum. The weapon had an effective range of 200 meters. Thompson SMG (26th) The Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, too later for service in World War I as it was originally intended. As there were no restrictions on sale of automatic weapons at the time, Thompson put the weapon on the civilian market, where became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals. Indeed, the widespread use of the Thompson in crimes was one of the reasons for the first firearms laws, the National Firearms Act. The weapon later went on to be used in hands of U.S. and allied troops in the Second World War. The Thompson was also known informally as: the "Tommy Gun", "Trench Broom", "Trench Sweeper", "Chicago Typewriter", "Chicago Piano", "Chicago Style", "Chicago Organ Grinder", and "The Chopper". The Thompson fired a .45 ACP round out a of a 20 or 30-round box magazine or a 50-round drum. The weapon had rate of fire of 600-1500 rpm depending on model and an effective range of 50 meters. 119's Edge The Thompson takes rate of fire and stopping power, however, the Błyskawica has a much longer range. Even. Rifles Kbk Wz. 29 (PHA) The Kbk Wz. 29 was a Polish copy of the German Karabiner 98k bolt-action rifle. The Karabiner 98k was the standard service rifle of the German military from 1935-1945. It was a bolt-action rifle with an internal magazine. 7.92mm Bullets could be loaded with a five-round stripper clip or loaded singly into the magazine by hand. Various attachments such as grenade launchers, suppressors, and bayonets could be attached to the Karabiner 98k. It became at a disadvantage to Allied forces during World War II due to it's bolt-action slowing down the rate of fire. High-quality Karabiner-98ks were fitted with a telescopic site to function as a sniper rifle. In skilled hands they could hit targets up to 1000m away, however, as a standard infantry rifle, it had a range of only 500-800 meters. M1 Garand (26th) The M1 Garand was the standard issue service rifle of the United States Armed Forces from 1936 until 1957. It is an air-cooled, gas-powered semi-automatic rifle, the first of its kind. Thousands of M1 Garands were issued to American Allied forces around the globe. It has since then been decommisioned in most areas, but continues to be a popular weapon for hunting. It was a signifigant combat innovation because of its ability to rapidly fire powerful .30-06 cartridges from its 8-round en-bloc clip at ranges of up to 402 meters. 119's Edge The 26th of July Movements' M1 Garand takes this easily for its superior rate of fire, in spite of the K98K's longer range. Assault Rifles StG-44 (PHA) The StG 44 (Sturmgewehr 44, literally "storm (or assault) rifle (model of 19)44") was an assault rifle developed in Nazi Germany during World War II that was the first of its kind to see major deployment and is considered by many historians to be the first modern assault rifle. The weapon fired a 7.92mm Kurz round, a shortened version of the standard German 7.92mm service ammunition. The weapon had a range of up to 600 meters and a rate of fire of 550-600 RPM from a 30-round magazine. AR-10 (26th) The AR-10 is an American battle rifle made by Armalite firing the 7.62mm NATO round. The AR-10 was designed for controllable full auto fire, and was one pound lighter than comparable battle rifles. The weapon was introduce in 1956, but never adopted by the US military, only seeing used by a few small 3rd-world countries, as well as some sales of the civilian versions. The weapon was also the basis for the highly successful AR-15 or M16 assault rifle. The weapon fired at a rate of fire of up to 700 rpm at ranges of up to 630 meters. The weapon had a 20-round magazine. 119's Edge The StG-44 for its larger magazine, as the slight increase in range is likely to matter little- most infantry combat occurs at far shorter ranges, where the StG's magazine will be more useful. Machine Guns Wz. 1928 (PHA) The Wz-1928 is a 7.9mm Polish copy of the Browning Automatic Rifle. Like the BAR, it fired from a 20-round magazine. The weapon has a muzzle velocity of 853 meters per second and a rate of fire of 650 rounds per minute. BAR (26th) The Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) was a family of United States automatic rifles (or machine rifles) and light machine guns used by the United States and numerous other countries during the 20th century. The weapon fires .30-06 rounds out of a 20-round magazine. The weapon has a muzzle velocity of 853 meters per second and a rate of fire of 650 rounds per minute. 119's Edge They're essentially the same thing. Even Launchers PIAT (PHA) The Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank, or PIAT was an anti-tank weapon used by British and Commonwealth forces during World War II. The weapon was not a rocket launcher, though it is sometimes mislabeled as such. The weapon worked by using a powerful spring mechanism to activate a precussion charge on the back of the projectile, launching it towards its target. The PIAT fired a 2.5 pound explosive shell with a hollow charge designed to pierce the armor of tanks, though this was only really effective against the side and rear armor of German heavy tanks such as the Panther and Tiger. The weapon was, however, known to be difficult to operate and having a kick that could bruise the user. The PIAT later saw use in the first Arab-Israeli War and the Korean War, before being replaced by a superior anti-tank weapons such as the Bazooka rocket launcher and Carl Gustav Recoilless Rifle in the 1950s. The weapon had an effective range of 110 meters. M9A1 Bazooka (26th) The term "Bazooka" refers to a series of shoulder mounted rocket launchers used by the US military during and after the Second World War. The first bazooka, the M1, was first deployed in 1942. The Germans captured American bazookas in North Africa and reverse engineered it into their own, larger rocket launcher, the Panzerschreck. The bazooka had difficulty, however, penetrating the armor of heavy German tanks such as the Panther and Tiger. The later M9 and M9A1 model partially rectified this, but they were still most effective against the side or rear armor, and best used defensively, not for hunting tanks offensively. The weapon fired a 60mm rocket at a range of up to 140 meters. 119's Edge The Bazooka takes the for its greater effective range and ease of use. Special Weapons Molotov Cocktail catapult (PHA) One of the more creative weapons improvised by the Polish Home Army was a catapult made from the suspension of an truck. The weapon was used to launch Molotov Cocktails a distance of probably no more than a couple hundred meters. Polish Molotovs contained a self-ignition system, having sulfuric acid mixed with the gasoline, and rag soaked in a solution of potassium perchlorate and sugar on the exterior. When the bottle broke, the two substances would react, igniting the molotov. Molotov Launcher (26th) The Cubans took the concept of a Molotov-launching device a step further. The device, apparently the brainchild of Che Guevara himself, consisted of Molotov cocktail with a wooden dowel attached the the bottom. The dowel was inserted into the barrel of a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with a blank cartridge. The cocktail was then lit and the shotgun fired, launching the Molotov off the end of the shotgun like a rifle grenade... assuming everything went as planned... 119's Edge Neither will likely do much damage, however, the Molotov catapult takes this simply as it is (slightly) less dangerous to the user. Light Vehicles "Kubus" (PHA) Kubus was the nickname given to an improvised armored personnel carrier built by the Polish Home Army on a truck chassis during the Warsaw Uprising. The vehicle was armed with Russian DP-28 light machine gun and a Pattern 4 flamethrower. The vehicle could carry 8-12 troops, protected by steel plates up to 6mm thick. The vehicle also had a top gunshield behind which as PIAT or a second machine gun could be fired, as a well as gunports for the personal weapons of the soldiers carried within. M3 Half Track (26th) The M3 Half Track was a US military armored vehicle consisting of a truck-like wheeled front and a tracked rear. The vehicle was used as an armored personnel carrier during the Second World War by US and Allied forces. The vehicle was later used by various less-developed countries, including Cuba, where they fell into the hands of the 26th of July Movement. The vehicle carried one M2 .50 caliber heavy machine gun and two M1919 .30 caliber machine guns. The vehicle was armored against small arms fire, but the top was left completely open and exposed. 119's Edge Kubus takes this for the greater protection of it armor, which covers the entire vehicle. Tanks Panther Tank (PHA) The Panther was a German medium tank of the Second World War, armed with a 75mm high-velocity gun capable of penetrating the armor or any US, UK, or Soviet tank in service, up to 194mm of steel armor with the heaviest armor-piercing round available for the gun. The Panther also carried 2 7.92mm MG34 machine guns.The Panther had up to 120mm of armor, and had a top speed of 55 kilometers per hour. The Polish Home Army captured a Panther from the Germans during the Warsaw Uprising. Sherman Firefly (26th) The Sherman Firefly was an British upgrade to the US-made M4 Sherman Medium Tank of the Second World War. The Tank carried a 76mm 17 pounder main gun with a higher muzzle velocity than the standard Sherman's 75mm gun, enabling it to take out German Panther and Tiger Tanks. The gun could penetrate 192mm of armor at a range of 914 meters with armor piercing discarding sabot ammunition. The tank also carried an M1919 .30 caliber machine gun, and a .50 caliber machine gun on a turret-top mount. The tank had 89mm of armor on the turret front and a top speed of 40 kilometers per hour. 119's Edge The Polish Home Army's Panther for its superior armor and top speed. =X-Factors= Notes Each side will have 12 infantry, 1 light armored vehicle, and one tank. =Battle= Polish Home Army: x 12, Kubus, Panther Tank 26th of July Movement x 12, M3 Half Track, Sherman Firefly An M3 half track rolled into a square in a war-torn city, containing 12 26th of July Movement guerillas, along with a Sherman tank. The infantry piled out as a Panther tank and Kubus, an improvised APC affiliated with the Polish Home Army rolled in from the other side of the square. The Panther on the Polish side fired first, hitting the Cuban Sherman with a 75mm armor-piercing round. The shell blew through the enemy tanks armor and detonated the ammunition inside. The Cuban tank went up in a ball of flames as the Polish infantry filed out of Kubus. (Cuban tank destroyed) A Cuban guerilla armed with an M1 Garand took aim at Polish Home Army resistance man armed who tried to fire a PIAT from behind the gunshield on Kubus, scoring a headshot. A Pole with an StG-44 retaliated, firing a burst that cut down the Cuban sniper. ( x11, x 11). Three Cubans opened fire with a Thompson, AR-10, and a BAR, respectively laying down a hail of automatic weapons fire that cut down two Polish Home Army soldiers. However, the fusillade was interrupted with a Molotov cocktail landed on the 26th of July Movement soldiers, seeming to fall out of the sky- the Poles had set up a Molotov cocktail catapult behind Kubus. The three Cuban guerillas, who were engulfed in burning gasoline, dove and started to roll on the ground, desperate to extinguish the flames. However, they were easy prey for the MG-34 mounted on the Panther and a Polish machine gunner with a Wz. 1928 LMG. ( x9, x 8) Suddenly, the Polish Panther exploded in a flash of fire- A Cuban had gotten on top of one of the buildings and fired a Bazooka rocket down on the rear armor of the Panther, destroying tank, and killing a PHA soldier, who was hit by shrapnel. ( x8, Polish tank destroyed). A Polish Home Army soldier spotted where the Bazooka fire had come from, and raised his PIAT, firing at the building on top of which the Cuban hit, and blowing away the Bazooka gunner, as well taking a chunk out of the building. ( x 7) With the Cuban forces weakened, the Polish commander order his men to advance forward, using Kubus as cover. The gunner on the Cuban M3 half-track tried to turn the mounted .50 cal on the Poles, but was taken down by a well-aimed shot from a Pole armed with a Kbk Wz-29 rifle. One of the Cubans raised his Molotov launcher- an improvised weapon made from a shotgun, and fired a Molotov at Kubus. The vehicle, with its fully-covered body, however, survived the hit and kept rolling, though a PHA soldier running alongside the vehicle was set ablaze and machine gunned as he tried to extinguish the flames. ( x 7 x 6) The operator of the Pattern 4 Flamethrower on Kubus fired the weapon, setting fire to the half-track and two Cubans attempting to use the vehicle as cover. The four remaining Cuban troops ran out from behind the burning half-track, one of them firing a burst from an AR-10, which killed a Polish soldier running next to Kubus. The Cubans tried to retreat into the buildings, however, one of them was cut down by fire from a Blyskawica submachine gun, and three others were killed by machine gun fire from Kubus. ( x 5 x 0) The Polish Home Army troops raised their weapons into air and shouted in celebration of their victory. WINNER: Polish Home Army Experts' Opinion The Polish Home Army won this battle due to their superior vehicles, including the more heavily armored Panther and the all-over armored Kubus. While many of their weapons were improvised, such as the Blyskawica, this, the experts argued, showed an ingenuity that could and was also be applied to unconventional tactics. Original battle, weapons, and votes here Category:Blog posts